Air line lubricator



' 1953 c. A. NORGREN ET AL AIR LINE LUBR-ICATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 14, 1949 FlG.-3

FAIG.I

N SE MR O N V I A L R A c KENNETH c. os|E,R R. DONALD BOWDEY a NORMAN A. METZGER FlG.-5

ATTORNEY 1953 c. A. NORGREN ET AL 2,661,314

AIR LINE LUBRICATOR Filed July 14, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS CARL A. NORGREN, KENNETH c. MOSIER R. DONALQ BOWDEY a NORMAN A. METZGER FIG.- 2

F l G. 6

ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 8,

AIRLINE LUBRICATOR Carl A. Norgre'n. Westwood, Kenneth G; Mosi'er,

Denver, R. Donald Bo Norman A. Metzger; Denver,

wdey,

Lakewood, and (3010;, assignor's to A. Norgren.0o,, Denver, 0010., a corporation of Colorado Application Jul 1 4, 1949; serial- No. 104.626

; Claims;

Our invention is directed toair line lubricators of the type adapted to discharge a fog of oil. into an air stream, and refers more particularly to lubricators which introducea controlled quantity of oil into an air stream only during-such periods of time as air under pressure is flowing through the lubricator.

Conventional air line lubricatorsareirequently unsatisfactory when employed for lubricating a compressed air tool or similar' mechanism, which requires air under pressure only intermittently, andthen only for short periods, since undersuch conditions the-fiow of'air through the lubricator' isfrequently of: such short duration that the oil orother lubricant cannot be drawn into the air stream from the lubricatorreservoir, thus forcing-the tool liq-operate without lubrication. Even under more favorable air flow conditions; the

- prior art lubricatorsmay fail to deliver a constaht supply of oil, primarily bec'ause the supply of oil is conventionally. regulated by-adjustmen't of a needle valve. Theobjectionable variation in the rate of oil discharge is-most noticeable wher ia lubricator is adjusted to feed onlya-fewdrops of oil per minute, oreven one-drop in several minutes, since this requires-an almost complete closing of the needle valve. Even when carefully initially. regulated, the flow of" lubricant under such circumstanceswill beg-radualIy re duced, due at leastinpart to small particles of solids or semi-solids lodging in the narrow valve aperture. Other undesirable chara'cteristics ozt the prior art devicesare the'necessity for reducing the inlet pressure to atmospheric before the supply oflubricantimthe reservoir can be replenished. and the.-.necessity for passing air through these .lubr'icators in one adirection' only.

A primary objectfloflour inventioniisito .pro vide, anair line lubricator which will consistently discharge into air flowing through the lubricator a predetermined'q uantity of lubricant; which-will maintain a predetermined rate of lubricant delivery over long periods of time, even under vary ing and" adverse airfiow conditions; and which permitsaccurate adjustment ofthe rateo'f lubricant flow without requiringfthe use of v'ery small lubricant meterin'g orifices. I

Other important objects include the provision of ian air line lubricator which -i's simple, durable} and economical, which maybe -filled with -lubri cant while air under pressure is flowing in {the lubricator. and-which -is reversiblewith respect to-the airfiow throughthe lubricatorr Further objects. as-we1l as the man -eaten: tages of our invention will-be -di'sclosed in' the" general-1y vertical rotatable course or: the followingdet'ailed description of our invention, and in the appended drawings.v in which:

Fig; lzis a partial crosssection' through a pre ferred embodimentof our lubricator; v

Fig. 2 is a: partial cross section through our lubricator takerr a't to Fig. I;

Fig; 3 'isa cross section of a portion of our 1u= bricator taken along the 1'ine 3'-=3 of Fig; 1

Fig. 4 is a cross section-taken along the line 44 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is across section takenalong the line 5-50f'FigL 1'; and

Fig. 6'is an enlarged cross secti'onal viewo'f the lower portion of our'metering 'a'ssembly';

In: brief, our lubricator' includesa body havin an air passage therein to" which inlet ahd outlt air pipes maybe attached, and a dependin'g lubri cant bowl sealed tb the body transversely. Es tending through the body-'and' aiir passage isa lubricant metering assembly having' af centrally disposed passageway through which lubricant is: conveyed from the reservoir through a' checkvalve and a needle valve:into a dischairge condit. I The portionof the metering assembly disposed the-air passage-is generally" shaped a'sa blade; and" for ex? ample; have a rectangular or' quadrilateral cross section; An a-ir inlet is provided on the upstream edg'eiof theblade' throughwhich air' at inlet pres sure .isconveyed past a" check valve which is held open by a filling openingplug; into the lubricant reservoir; The opposite; or downstream; edge -"of the blade has a lubricant discharge openinf I or port through which oil from the needle v ve ls drawn into the airstream, where it isatomized into i a fog orsusrie nsio n-Z The" bladein the sssnfgewayrestrias the area availablethereinior a new; and th us in creases*thervelocityof'air flowing past-thematic? 'in turn develops-a relatively low ressure on the downstream-edge of-the-bladearound thedis charge opening; and'*thus--creates"a pressure dif feren'tial' which 'is su irei todraw 'oil from the reservoir to the dis-charg opening. Since the fiQW 'df-bil WiH b prbpbffid V v differential estabh shetf' befivel'r the 8; fi oil discharge opeiiing's iii-the blade? it may seen that the rate of-oil 116W- may temerease'a by v increasing thefvelocity of the=a1rflowing* the blade: This -isattaifia yililtatin metering assembly or bladi vrhich is an part ofthemetering-a'ssembl t' tionin. whichtheblafie eirtends diagonally across the air stream; thus' further restricting the crass 3 sectional area in the conduit through which the air must pass.

To adjust our lubricator to a very low rate of delivery, the needle valve is opened wide and the metering assembly with the blade turned to a diagonal position across the air conduit to create a relatively high pressure differential between the air inlet and the oil discharge openings in the blade, thus creating a flow of oil through the needle valve. The metering assembly is then rotated in a direction which reduces both the pressure differential and the oil flow until the latter is slightly in excess of the desired quantity. The opening of the needle valve is then reduced to ob tain the exact flow required. The rotatable metering assembly may therefore be considered as constituting the coarse or primary adjustment and the needle valve as the fine or vernier adjustment.

When so adjusted, it will be found that the needle valve is not in a practically closed condition as would be the case in conventional lubricators adjusted to a very low oil flow rate, and as a result the tendency towards clogging of the valve is practically eliminated. Furthermore, the check valve in the passage leading to the needle valve prevents the reverse flow lubricant therein and allows an immediate discharge of lubricant wherever there is even a momentary flow of air past the lubricator.

Our preferred form of lubricator is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, and includes a body ID, usually of forged brass or the like, in which is formed a cylindrical air conduit H having a threaded inlet i2 and a threaded outlet IS. A boss l4 extends upwardly from the body immediately above the air passageway l l and has a downwardly extending counter bore 16 forming a shoulder ii. The lower surface of the body ID is grooved to receive a peripheral gasket 18. A bowl [9 having a lip flange 2| engages the gasket [8 and is held in position by bolts 22 extending through the body 10 into engagement with a circumferential ring 23, which engages the lip flange 2|. A circular bore extends through the central portion of the body and boss M on the axis of the passageway H and through a depending boss 24 formed on the lower surface of the body "I. In this bore we mount a metering assembly, generally designated 26, conveniently formed from a rod and including, an upper cylindrical section 29 and a lower cylindrical section 3|. Although the cross section of the blade 32 may be rectangular in form, better results will often be obtained by beveling the upstream edge 35 and the downstream edge 40 of the blade 32 in such manner that the cross section of the blade 32 is approximately a parallelogram, it being understood that the sides and edges of the blade need not necessarily be straight. Changing the shape of the sides of the blade 32, or more particularly the shape or degree of bend of the edges, varies the pressure reduction obtained per degree of blade rotation between the air inlet and oil discharge openings, and therefore permits control of the metering characteristics of the lubricator.

The upper cylindrical section 29 is grooved to receive a resilient sealing ring 33, which seals the central opening against loss of air. The lower cylindrical section 3| is provided with spaced grooves in which sealing rings 34 and 36 are mounted. The portion of the lower cylindrical section extending downwardly beyond the boss 34 is also grooved to receive a snap ring 31, which holds the metering assembly 26 in position.

The upper cylindrical section 29 is provided with a laterally extending head 38, which is engaged on its under surface by lips 39 formed on the lower extremity of a sight gauge guard 4|, the latter being provided with apertures extending through its wall to permit observation of the rate of oil flow. A transparent cylindrical sight gauge 42 rests on a gasket 43 interposed between the base of the sight gauge 42 and the head 38. The upper extremity of the sight gauge 42 is counterbored as at 44, forming lips 46 which support a ring gasket 41. A needle valve body 48 rests on the gasket 41 and projects a short distance downwardly within the sight gauge 42,

the joint between the valve 48 and the sight gauge being sealed by a resilient ring 49. A cover 5| engages the upper surface of the needle valve body 48 and is threaded to the sight gauge cover 4|, the lips 39 of which engage the shoulder H. The valve body 48 has threaded therein an adjusting screw 52 disposed to open and close a valve seat in the lower portion of the valve body 48. A short passageway 53 connects the interior of the valve body with the space formed by the counterbore 44, which in turn communicates with a bore 54 formed in the sight gauge 42. The lower portion 28 of the metering assembly 26 has an axial bore 56 blocked at its upper end by the gasket 43. A diagonal bore 51 connects the bore 56 with the bore 54, a suitable opening being provided in the gasket 43 forthis purpose.

A check valve 58 is mounted in the lower por-, tion 28 in position to block downward flow of lubricant through the bore 56 and communicates with a tube 59, which extends downwardly from the check valve 58 into the bowl [9. The blade 32 has a discharge opening 6! formed in its down stream edge and is supplied with lubricant through a bore 62 formed in the blade 32 extending upwardly into communication with a tube 63, the latter extending through the gasket 43 and communicating with the interior of the sight gauge 42. The upstream edge of the blade 32 is provided with an air inlet opening 66 which communicates with a bore 66 in the blade 32, having an outlet in a peripheral groove 6'! formed in the lower portion 28 of the metering assembly 26 between the rings 34 and 36. A passageway 68 is formed in the body in connecting the groove 61 with a check valve 59, which may be urged by gravity or a suitable spring into a position preventing a flow of air through the passageway B8 into the bowl [9. The body i0 is provided with a threaded filler plug opening in which a filler plug H having a nose 72 and a head 73 may be secured. The plug II is positioned in such manner that the nose 12 holds the check valve 69 in an unseated position and thus permits the flow of air from the air inlet 64 through the passageway 68 into the bowl 59 when the plug H is secured in position. A gasket i4 is interposed between the head 13 and the body iii to prevent leakage.

Mounted in the boss [4 is a set screw 16, the inner end of which engages the sight gauge guard 4| and prevents accidental rotation of the metering assembly 26. Preferably the exterior surface of the cover 5! is knurled for convenient rotation of the metering assembly 26 when the setscrew is loosened.

In operation, suitable air lines are connected to the inlet and outlet :2 and 13 of my lubricator; and the bowl i9 is filled with lubricant through the filler plug 1 I. After fully opening the needle valve 48, th e set screw 16 isloosened and the m'etering assembl 26' turned such manner as to restrict the flow of air around the bladefl, and with the air inlet Bl positioned man up? stream direction. Air under inlet pressure will enter the air inlet opening 64 nd pass through the, bore '86 into the groove 61, thenc through the passageway 68 and the check valve 89, which is held in open position by the nose 12 oflthe filler. plug ll, into the bowl l9, placing the lubricant therein at inlet pressure. The pres sure conditions existing around the oil discharge opening 6| will be below inlet pressure, due to theinpreased velocity of air flow around the blade 32-, this ellec't being greatly increasedb'y disposing the blade at an an ular position with respect to the direction of air flow. As a result, this lower pressure will be communicated to the fnterior of the sight gauge 2, thenoethrough 'thebol e i and the bore 53 to the tube, which immersed in lubricant. This establishes a pr ssure differential suilicient to draw oil f Dm the bowl is upwardly through the tube 59, ast the chech valve 58, through the bores '56, '57, and Si, into the counter bore 84, from which it passe through the passageway 5'3,'throu'gh the open'ne'edle valve "48 into the sightgauge 42, and downwardly through the tube 63 and the bore 62 to the discharge opening GI, where it atomized by the turbulence or the air stream.

since the pressure differential under the abovedeiined conditions will be quite high, a relative- 1y rapid now of oil will be observed through the sight gallge 42. The meterin assembly '26 is then turned in a reverse direction to reduce the now of oil to an approximate number of drops er minute somewhat in excess or the amount actuall desired. At this point the set screw is is tightened to retain the assembly in position. lherate of on now is then 'i'urther reduced by partially closing the needle valve is until the desired rate of .flow isattained. The rate of new thus established will be maintained almost indefinitely, and the onl attention required will be an oc asional addition of lubricant to the bowl. v I I :Ihe shape or theblade 3? and "the blade edges and 140 are of considerable importance, since "the increase in fair velocity, and hence the pressure difierential, created by the angular movement of'the blade 32 becomes relatively greater per'uegree oi rotation the blade is turned towards a position in which it substantiallyblocks the passage ll. By beveling or otherwise shaping-thelupstream and downstream edges and 40 6f the blade 32, this shoot is considerably reducejtl and maybe made'to approach a uniform function wherein the increase in velocity of the air and therefore the pressure differential is proportionate to, the angular displacement of the blade 32 ironi'aposition in-which its major plane is parallel to the direction "of -air flow.

ifihe bowl 49 maybe filled h lubricant even Whfle air underpressure-is iioiiag throughfthe passageway, since by removing the plug \H the check valve 69 is allowed to seat and prevents the flow of air under inlet pressure through the passageway 68. The air under pressure in the bowl l9 escapes around the plug H as the plug is being withdrawn and is reestablished after the plug II has been resecured in position.

It will be found that even a momentary flow of, air through my lubricator will cause the discharge of lubricant from the lubricant discharge opening 6| because the check valve 58 prevents the downward flow of lubricant. Only a very assign slight period r nine-is required to draw lubricant from the valuv'e 48,the amount withdrawn be ing immediately replenished from the reservoir ['9 through the tube 59. I

From-the foregoing "it"may be seen that we may attain, when desired, a very slow rate of oil flow without adjusting the needle valve to a position in which it is practically closed. its a result, there is practically no tendency for the valve to plug; and thus alter the rate at which oil is dischargedinto the air stream; Further more, since We attain a high degree of control over the pressure differential which creates the flow of oil through my lubricator by movement of the metering assembly 26, we can govern with a high degree of accuracy the total quantity of oil delivered to the air stream in a given period of time, regardless oiwhethe'r a large or small quantity of oil is required. The quantity of oil actually delivered 'will be substantially uniform with respect to the total quantity of air passing the blade 32, regardless of whether or not the flow is continuous, since there is practically no lag in time between the initiation ozf-air flow past the blade 32 and the discharge of lubricant. from the opening 61. Furthermore, the direction of air flow through the lubricator can be reversed when desired without reversing theposition of the lubricatorythe change being -ac-- complished' simplyby rotating the metering as sembly 26 through The foregoing detailed description of "a preferred embodiment of "our-*invention has been 4 made in compliance witirR. S. 4888, and is-to be understood :as illustrative, rather than restric tive in nature. We donotftherefore limit'our selves to the precise details hereindescribed, ex:- cept as defined in the appended claims. f j

'1. An all line lubricator comprising a body having all-air conduit-formed therein for the passage'of air under pressure, a lubricant rose ervoir sealed to the body, 1 a metering assembly rotatably mounted 'inthe body; including a-blade portion disposed in the-air conduit, said blade portionhaving in 'cross'sect'ion a major dimen sion substantially greater than a minor dimension measured normal to the 'majordimension, an oil conduit for conveying oil from the'reservoir to an oildischarge' opening in the downstream edge of thebla-d'e portion and a valve vfor regulating the flow of oil "through-the saidoil conduit. '2. An air line "lubricator comprising 'a body having an; air" conduit' formed therein forthe passage of'a'ir under "pressure, a lubricant reser'voir 'se'aledto the body; ametering assembly rotatably "mounted in the "body including a blade portion "disposed in the. air conduit, said blade portion having in cross section .a major dimens'ion substantially, greaterjthan. a minor dimension measured normal tattle mBJJ'Qr dimension, an oil/conduit for conveying oil from the eservoir to an "oil discharge 'openingjin the downstream edge oithe blade portionand' an orifice "for regulating the flow of oil through the said oil conduit.

3. An air line lubricator comprising a body having an air conduit for the passage of air under pressure, a lubricant reservoir sealed to the body, a blade rotatably mounted in the body in the path of air flowing through the air conduit, thereby dividing the air conduit into two restricted channels, one cross sectional dimension of the blade being greater than the other and at least substantially equal to the diameter of the air conduit, means for rotating the blade, first conduit means for passing air at inlet pressure into the reservoir, second conduit means for conveying lubricant from the reservoir to a discharge opening on the downstream edge of the blade, and a valve for regulating the flow of lubricant through the second conduit means.

4. An air line lubricator comprising a body having an air conduit, a lubricant reservoir sealed to the body, a first conduit member in the air conduit having an open end facing in .the downstream direction, a lubricant conduit vfor carrying lubricant from the reservoir to the first conduit member, a second conduit member for passing air at inlet pressure into the reservoir, and means including a rotatable blade member extending into the air conduit for adjustably restricting the cross sectional area of the air conduit around the open end above said first conduit.

5. An air line lubricator comprising a body having an air conduit for the passage of air under pressure, a pendant lubricant container sealed to the body, said body having a conduit formed therein for the passage of air under inlet pressure into the container, a metering assembly rotatably mounted in the body including a blade portion disposed in the air conduit, conduit means including a tube on the base of the assembly and a passage in the metering assembly, a check valve in the conduit means for preventing the reverse flow of lubricant, said conduit means having a discharge opening in the downstream edge of the blade portion, and valve means between the check valve and the discharge opening for regulating the flow of lubricant through the conduit.

6. An air line lubricator comprising a body having an air conduit formed therein for the passage of air under pressure, a lubricant container sealed to the body, a lubricant conduit including a. member disposed in the air conduit having an inlet in the container and an outlet in the air conduit facing in a downstream direction, conduit means for passing air under inlet pressure from the air conduit into the container, a check valve in the conduit means automatically seating for preventing passage of air into the container, and a threaded filler plug in the body having a surface engaging and unseating the check valve when said plug is in sealing position.

'7. An air line lubricator comprising a body having an air conduit formed therein for the passage of air under pressure, a lubricant con tainer sealed to the body, a lubricant conduit for conveying lubricant from the container to the air conduit including a blade disposed in the air conduit with a discharge opening facing in a downstream direction, said blade being rotatable for decreasing the unobstructed cross sectional area of the air conduit, means for passing air at inlet pressure from the air conduit into the container, and a check valve in the lubricant conduit for preventing flow of lubricant towards the container.

8. An air line lubricator comprising a body having an air conduit formed therein for the passage of air under pressure, a lubricant container sealed to the body, a rotatable metering assembly projecting through the body and air conduit into the lubricant container including a blade portion within the air conduit efiective upon rotation for decreasing the unobstructed cross sectionalarea of the air conduit, lubricant conduit means including a passage extending through the blade portion for drawing lubricant from the container, a valve on the metering assembly having an inlet communicating with the lubricant conduit, a discharge conduit in the blade portion having an outlet on the downstream side thereof, a transparent member connecting the valve with the discharge conduit, and means for passing air at inlet pressure from the air conduit into the container.

9. An air line lubricator comprising a body having an air conduit formed therein for the passage of air under pressure, a pendant lubricant container sealed to the body, a metering assembly rotatably sealed to the body including a blade portion in the air conduit, the upstream and downstream edges of the blade portion being inclined with respect to the principal plane of the blade and having air inlet and oil discharge parts formed in the said upstream and downstream edges respectively, first conduit means communicating with the air inlet for passing air at inlet pressure from the air conduit into the container, and second conduit means including a passage in the blade portion for conveying lubricant from the container to the oil discharge port.

10. A metering assembly for use with'a body having an air conduit for the passage of air under pressure and a sealed lubricant container comprising a generally cylindrical member having a blade portion intermediate its ends, means for rotatably sealing the member in the body with the blade in the air conduit, said blade having upstream and downstream edges approximately parallel to each other and at an angle to the principal plane of the blade, an air inlet port in the upstream edge of the blade, conduit means con.- necting the inlet port with the container, an oil discharge port in the downstream edge of the blade, a lubricant conduit in the cylindrical member for carrying oil from the container to the oil discharge port, and a valve in the lubricant conduit for governing the flow of lubricant therein.

CARL A. NORGREN. KENNETH C. MOSIER. R. DONALD BOWDEY. NORMAN A. METZGER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,907,464 Terry May 9, 1933 2,223,700 Norgren Dec. 3, 1940 2,225,324 Slater Dec. 1'7, 1940 mu, r g l 

